Process of candy coating cereal product and the like



Patented Apr. 9, 1940 UNITED STATES rnoosss or canny COATING causal.rnonuc'r AND manna John L. Kellogg, Chicago, 111.; assignor, by mesneassignments, to Helen L. Kellogg, Chicago,

No Drawing. Application March so, 1938,

v Serial No. 198,855 I 1 9 Claims. (c1. 99-434) This invention relatesto the coating of bodies of vegetable origin, in the production ofconfactions of the type of confection consisting of a cereal base andcandy coating; the invention I relating more particularly to the coatingof puffed or partially puffed cereals such as pufl'ed rice, pufl'edcorn, puffed wheat, corn flakes, popped corn and the like, with candy orsugar containing compounds. The principal object of 10 the invention isto provide a new candy coating process, intended more especially forfragile vegetable bodies such as puffed cereals, whereby the coating maybe effected without breaking of the'cereal bodies treated-an importantconsideration when the coating is to be applied to delicate and fragilebodies such as puffed or flaked cereals-and whereby the product willhave improved flavor, crispness and better keeping qualities. I

Heretofore in coating, or attempting to coat bodies of this sort withsugar containing compounds, it has been customary, in order to give thecoating brittleness and dryness, to cook the compound at relatively hightemperatures. say

26 290-295 F. for the p p e of driving off most of the water content ofthe coating, that is, the

water used to dissolve the sugar. This makes a syrup which readily driesto a hard, brittle coating that is not excessively sticky; but with such30 concentrated syrup it is impowible or at least very difllcult, tocoat fragile and delicate bodies such as flaked or puffed cerealswithout excessive breakage of thepufled or flaked grains.

In order to overcome this difllculty the cereal product, according tothe present invention, is

coated with a liquid compound containing an excess of water so that thecompound is thin enough to be readily mixed with and to-coat the cerealbodies without breakingvthem; and after the i0 coating operation iscompleted the coated product is heated, in an oven, for example, to dryout the excess moisture and thus harden and make crisp and brittle thecoatings which, without this treatment, would be soft and sticky.Preferably the heating is carried to a point which toasts the pulledcereal bodies. As a result-of this method of procedure the product,besides consisting of unbroken pulled or flaked kernels, is crisper, hasbetterkeeping'qualities and also has better flavor than if coatedaccording to previously known practices. A coating compound containingthe required excesswater may be obtained either by cooking theingredients of the compound, principally sugars, water, and fat, at 56lower temperatures than is customary, for example at about 225-230 F.,or at temperatures even below this; or the coating compound may becookedat the usual higher temperatures, for example at 290-295. F., orhigher, and then diluted with water before being used for coating 5 thecereal. The firstmethod is preferred as it appears to give a betterflavor to the product. In either case the syrup is suflicientlyconcentrated before application to the cereal bodies as to prevent thecereal bodies from becoming 10 soggy. The following is a speciflcexample of the application of the invention to practice. It will beunderstood that this example is purely illustrative and informative, andthat the invention is 16 not to be considered as limited to-theparticular ingredients and operating data given therein; the intentionbeing to cover all equivalents and all modifications of the processwithin the scope of the appended claims. 20

Ea:ample.To nine and one-half pounds of canesugar is added one pint ofwater, and the sugar and water placed over a low flre until the sugar ismelted or dissolved. To the syrup thus I formed are added two andthree-quarters pounds 25 of molasses and two and three-quarters poundsof glucose (corn syrup) of the usual commercial densities. Theingredients are brought to a boil and there is added to the mix onepound of fat, animal or vegetable, preferably cocoanut oil or 30 butter.The mix is cooked at a temperature of about 225-230 F. It may beflavored in any suitable manner, for example, by adding twelve bakeduntil the coating is dry and hard. Preferably the heat applied issuflicient to toast .the cereal as well as drive off the moisture'fromthe material. To accomplish this result the material may be baked in anoven at 350-450 F. for about 10-15 minutes. i

.The term pulled cereals, is intended-to include cereals such as corn,rice, wheat, and the like, whether explosively puffed by the gun methodor popped in the ordinary popping machine at atmospheric pressure, orpartially puffed by the oven method as in the case of flaked cerealssuch as corn flakes.

I claim: 1. Process of producing candy coated pufied 5 cereals whichcomprises: preparing a liquid coating compound by cooking together, at atemperature not substantially higher than 230 F. sugar, water and a fat;gently mixing together the puffed cereal and the coating compound; andthereafter baking the material initil the coatin on each separate puffedcereal body is dry and hard.

2. Process of producing candy coated puffed cereals which comprises:cooking at a temperature not substantially higher than 230 F., sugar,

water, molasses, glucose, and a fat to form a liquid coating compound;mixing together the separate cereal bodies and the compound; andthereafter baking the product until the coating on each individualcereal body is dry and hard.

3. Process of producing candy coated puffed cereals which comprises:cooking, at a temperature not substantially higher than 230 F., sugar,water, molasses, glucose, and a fat to form a liquid coating compound;mixing together the puffed cereal bodies and said compound andthereafter, while keeping the individual puffed cereal bodies in motion,baking the product to evaporate water from the coating and to toast thecereal bodies.

,4. Process of producing candy coated pufi'ed cereals which comprises:dissolving nine and one-half pounds of cane sugar in one pint of water,and adding to the syrup two and threequarters pounds of molasses and twoand threequarters pounds of glucose; bringing the material to a boil andadding one pound of cocoanut oil and cooking to a temperature of 225 230F.; mixing with the coating compound thus formed the puffed cerealbodies to be coated; and then baking the material in an oven at atemperature of about 350-450 F. for about 10-15 minutes.

5. Method of treating a mass of separate and fragile cereal food bodiesto provide each body with a substantially non-sticky sugar coating whichcomprises gently mixing said bodies with the sugar coating compound in aliquid state and containing an excess of water, said sugar coatingcompound being suificiently concentrated before application to thecereal bodies to prevent the cereal bodies from becoming soggy and then,while maintaining the bodies in'motion to provide uniform exposure andto inhibit the tendency of the individual bodies to adhere to oneanother, heating the mass to evaporate excess water from the individualcoating.

6. Process for the production of a confection which comprises: mixingfragile vegetable bodies with a sugar and water syrup thin enough sothat the vegetable bodies may be individually and evenly coated with thesyrup without fracture of said bodies, said syrup being suflicientlyconcentrated before application to said bodies to prevent said bodiesfrom becoming soggy; and there after heating the said coated bodies soas to evaporate water from the coatings.

7. Process for the production of a confection which comprises: mixingfragile vegetable bodies with a sugar and water syrup thin enough sothat the vegetable bodies may be individually and evenly coated with thesyrup without fracture of said bodies, said syrup being suiiicientlyconcentrated before application to said bodies to prevent said bodiesfrom becoming soggy; and thereafter heating the said coated bodies so asto evaporate water from the coatings and bring about the toasting of thevegetable bodies.

8. Process for the production of a confection which comprises: mixingpuffed cereal bodies with a sugar and water syrup thin enough so thatsaid puffed bodies may be individually and evenly coated with the syrupwithout fracture of said bodies, said syrup being sufficientlyconcentrated before application to said bodies to prevent said bodiesfrom becoming soggy; and thereafter heating said coated bodies so as toevaporate water from the coatings.

JOHN L. KELLOGG.

